Ayanokoujisama
by GoodGurl
Summary: Chapter 6 - Don't you know who I think I am?: The epic next chapter! Koboshi worries, Takashi comforts his girlfriend and Kaoru makes a threatening remark. Better read! :D
1. The Return

Note: Wow, I guess I just haven't written in like...let's see....three years! Heh, I am back again, although I disappeared for that long period of time. I promise, I will be good this time and update as much as I can! Here it is, the long awaited sequel to Koutaru-Kun which is titled: Ayanokouji-sama.

Summary: A year has passed since Takashi and Koboshi became an official couple. Life is of course normal, but when a friend from the past shows up, she is planning at all cost to keep them as separate as possible. But what exactly will she do? Only Misha seems to know...

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance

**Chapter 1 – The Return**

A black stretch limo came to a complete stop the moment it reached its destination. The inhabitants of the vehicle were surprised at the sudden halt when one of them suddenly flew forward and almost comically went through the window. The other seemed more worried about the coffee she was holding than her own life as she continued to balance the content in her cup. She sighed and glared at the driver through the back window. "Baka..." she mumbled, rolling her eyes and licking drops of coffee that made it on to her hand. She glanced over at her companion, who seemed to have recovered quickly from the fall and sighed, reaching over to open the door. "I think we're here now, Nii-sama." She stepped out of the limousine and turned her head towards her old home. It was still very large from what she remembered, but compared to her home in Australia now, it was small. It didn't bother her very much the difference of the proximity of both homes, but what mattered to her the most was seeing the golden shining hair on a particular young man's head.

With that thought in her mind, she stretched a bit, a smile creeping upon her lips and reached over to her white, satin handbag and took out a round, purple mirror. Kaoru stared at her reflection for a while and smiled to herself. Then, placed her mirror back in her bag and sighed. "Onii-sama, you think he'll recognize me?"

Her older brother, Mitarai Hiroshi straightened himself up and stood beside his sister. "I think he'll recognize both of us! And I'll bet he wouldn't turn down a beautiful woman like you!" He was indeed quite proud of the woman Kaoru had become and if he was looking at the mirror right now, he would indeed be very proud of the man he's become as well. He has worked very hard to be tall, lean and a little muscular and managed to convince his father to get rid of his bowl shaped haircut of a hair that haunted him for many years during elementary and throughout the end of high school.

Encouraged by her brother's words, Kaoru marched towards the direction of the street down in front of her. She didn't bother to look back at the old home she has lived for 8 years, instead she kept on staring forward to the direction of Takashi Ayanokouji's home. Behind her, Hiroshi ran after her, calling her name.

"Kaoru! Where are you going!?"

Kaoru ignored her brother's calls and managed to reach the corner that when turning she would spot Ten-chan's home. Her timing was just right that as soon as she turned, Takashi had walked through his front gate. She was about to run up to him and call his name as loud as she could, when something stopped her.

From the corner of her eye, a young woman with long blond hair stepped through the gate as well and joined Takashi's side. Kaoru, shocked at what she just saw, turned and hid behind the wall and watched curiously as Takashi lovingly took her hand and kissed it. They walked down the big hill in front of them, eventually blocking Kaoru's view from seeing the girl's face. Fuming, Kaoru's eyes turned into thin slits and got ready to follow them, when a hand pressed itself on her shoulder.

"Kaoru, no..." Hiroshi could tell from where he stood behind her that she was fuming from the smoke that was coming out of her ears.

Slapping Hiroshi's hand away, Kaoru decided to follow them, wanting to know who the girl was before an "accident" would happen. Ignoring her brother's pleas, she ran towards Takashi and the girl and saw them reach the bottom of the hill and entering an ice cream shop. The rage was gradually building within her and when she made it to the ice cream shop, she hid behind the window and watched them intently. She could hear footsteps behind her now and could tell it was her brother from the way he walked. "I just want to know who she is, onii-sama...who else would make Ayanokouji-sama happy besides me?"

Hiroshi sighed and nodded, patting her on the head. He didn't really hear any sadness in her voice, just anger. Kaoru wasn't really known to cry so much with little things. When she was determined about something, she would be determined to get it at all costs. No matter how much she knew it was pointless, when she sets her heart on something, it would be either now or never. "I'll go in and order something and listen in on their conversation."

"Really?" There was admiration in her eyes the moment she turned to glance at her brother. Hiroshi was touched by that look and it gave him determination to make his sister happy. Patting her on the head one more time, he stood up and entered the shop. He looked around and walked over to the display windows nearest to Takashi and the girl he was with. He paused in front of the displays and placed his hands in his pockets, stepping a little bit closer to the two. With the corner of his eyes, he watched.

"How's the ice cream?" Takashi asked the girl.

The girl nodded and licked her ice cream. "It's very good. Want to try?" She offered him her ice cream and Takashi leaned over a bit to taste it. After he was finished, noting from the look on his face that he was actually fond of the choice flavour the girl made, he leaned back on his chair and continued to finish his own.

Hiroshi, watching from the corner of his eyes, realized he could not recognize the girl just by looking at the side of her face. He knew he had to get closer. With just the girl's voice, he was very bad at familiarizing who people were. So he leaned in against another table sitting beside him and pretended to look at the menu.

"Are you ready to order, sir?"

Startled by the voice, the hand that was keeping him up slipped from the table and he fell to the side, hitting the table where Takashi and the girl were sitting. The ice cream flew from their hands and landed on the ground, some falling on Hiroshi's head. He sat there, unable to move, very frozen on his spot after that embarrassing moment.

"Oh! Are you all right?" The voice belonged to the girl Takashi was sitting with. He felt a tiny hand helping him up and the ice cream continued to melt on his head, making his hair very sticky. He would have to take two hours of showering tonight.

"I don't know what happened, but that was a nasty fall you made," another voice spoke, this time, Hiroshi recognized as Takashi. Noises of tables being put back together were all around him and Hiroshi, with the ice cream on his head could not see from behind his set of hair. That same tiny hand was helping him remove the sticky bangs from his eyes and as soon as his face was cleared, he could finally see again and he found himself staring into a pair of ruby eyes.

There was a smile on her face as soon as his eyes caught hers and he found himself just staring into her eyes, finally recognizing who it was. "Uematsu?"

Koboshi seemed surprised and she blinked for a moment, trying to figure out who this young man was. "How did you know my name?"

Takashi seemed to have been wondering the same thing for Hiroshi found himself also staring into the blond man's eyes. There seemed to be a sudden recognition from his eyes as there crept a smile upon his face. "Why if it isn't Mitarai Hiroshi!" The taller man wrapped his arms around Hiroshi, having to bend a little bit to give him a friendly embrace. Despite Hiroshi's efforts to be more handsome looking, from what he could see, Takashi grew to be also very tall and muscular. However, he wasn't as surprised as the transformation set on Koboshi Uematsu. He knew 9 years ago before they were sent over to Australia to study by their parents, that Koboshi had gotten rid of her cat ears and supported a new hairstyle. But he had no idea how grown up she looked now and it did not compare to the Koboshi he knew back then.

"How have you been? It's been so long!" Takashi continued, finally releasing the hug.

"You mean, Mitarai Hiroshi!?" Koboshi spoke finally, after the initial shock of this man knowing her name. She looked back and smiled. "I didn't even recognize you!" Koboshi studied him up and down and was quite surprised at Hiroshi's own transformation. It's understandable, they were all grownup now...almost. "Where is your sister? Is she with you?"

This seemed all too fast for Hiroshi, as he shook his head and lied. "No, she's back in Australia." He forced a smile on his face and glanced from Koboshi, to Takashi. Takashi seemed relieved at Hiroshi's answer, seeing as though he didn't seem to have recovered from the first and last time he encountered Kaoru. However, he had a feeling Takashi wouldn't like this addition to his answer. "She'll be joining me soon enough. She just had to finish a final exam this week."

There seemed to have tenderness of love built between Takashi and Koboshi as the blond woman reached over and ran a caring hand upon Takashi's arm. "Did you want to join us for some ice cream, Mitarai? Since you dropped ours, you think you could treat us for some ice cream?" Koboshi punched his arm. "Ow....sorry, it'll be our treat since Koboshi seem to think it's a good idea with you being rich and all and us being starving students." He received another gentle punch from his girlfriend and this time he chuckled.

_Koboshi, _Hiroshi thought. From the last time he remembered, Takashi always called her by her last name. "Sorry, I have to get going. I heard about this place from a friend of mine and I thought I stopped by and check it out. Maybe I can take my sister here when she arrives." He gave an awkward wave before heading out.

As soon as he joined his sister outside of the store, who was hiding behind a dumpster, he took her hand and she obediently followed him, confused. "I think we should just leave them alone."

"What? Why? Who was the girl? And how on earth did you get ice cream on your hair? You know who it is, don't you? Who was she!? I DEMAND an answer, nii-sama!" Kaoru stopped walking and pulled her hand away from him. She was getting irritated.

Hiroshi turned and sighed. "Fine. Don't act so surprised, because I was already surprised on your behalf."

Kaoru folded her arms across her chest and waited impatiently for him to continue.

"That was Uematsu."

Her mouth gaped open and her arms fell to her side. "You mean, Koboshi-chan?" There was still unbelief in her eyes and Hiroshi nodded. He watched as she began to pace back and forth, still hardly able to believe what she just heard. "That can't be right! They're just friends...and....That can't be right!"

Hiroshi sighed, walking over and wrapping an arm around his sister's shoulders. "We'll deal with this tomorrow, right now, I'm still jet-lagged and I want to get rid of this ice cream from my hair."

Kaoru fell silent, allowing her brother to lead them back to their old home. _Yes, we'll deal with this tomorrow,_ she thought.

**A/N**: WELL! That was a looong first chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it. Now, what it Kaoru up to???? XD Find out on the next chapter!


	2. Old Friends, New Enemies

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I was hoping for more reviews, but I can understand people have given up because I took so long for the sequel. I am SO SORRY! :S Anyways, here is chapter 2! Hope more will review as I keep going with the story!

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**Chapter 2 – Old Friends, new Enemies**

Daylight peeked through the window, waking the sleeping form on the bed. Her eyes fluttered open and she stretched and yawned, with a big smile on her face. She turned slightly to the other side of the bed to get up, when she felt something crawling on her arm. Koboshi jumped out of her bed and screamed.

"What happened!? Are you okay, Koboshi!?" Ten ran inside the room, holding a spatula in his hand and an apron around his waist, with a look of concern on his face. He looked as though he was about to attack whatever made her scream with his spatula.

Koboshi ran towards Takashi and hid behind him, pointing to the bed. "Something was on my bed! Something creepy and crawly! Get it! It's probably still there!"

Takashi looked to where she was pointing at and had to comply when she started to push him towards it. Sighing, he approached the bed cautiously, gripping the spatula tightly in his hand. With one fell swoop, he grabbed the blanket and pulled it away from the bed. A large tarantula was crawling around on the bed and it made Koboshi's hair stand in fear.

"Oh, it's just a tarantula," was Takashi's reply.

"JUST a tarantula? SOME tarantulas have poison you know!"

Takashi kissed her on the cheek. "You're so cute when you're scared!"

Koboshi frowned.

"All right, all right, I'll get it." Chuckling, he reached over and grabbed the blanket and after many tries, he managed to get the tarantula inside the blanket. Takashi quickly tossed the tarantula out the back door of the kitchen and closed it. "There! Feeling better?"

Koboshi sat down on one of the chairs in the kitchen and sighed, still staring at the back door of the kitchen. Takashi went back to cooking the eggs, which resulted in them being burnt after leaving it there for a while and placed them on a plate. He went over and began serving them to Koboshi, noting how worried she looked. "Oh come on, Koboshi, it's not like it can make its way back inside here! Just relax!"

"I don't understand where it came from! Was this your friend's idea of a joke?" She looked up at him, frowning and began eating the eggs and ham prepared for her. Normally, she would be making the breakfast, but ever since she started working night shifts for a grocery store she hasn't had a decent sleep. And since it was closer to Takashi's place, she would end up always sleeping there and calling Hinari and letting her know where she was. Getting back to her thought about Seika making this very rude practical joke, she doubted it would be him since he probably had no time for such silly games. Besides, when Takashi moved to his own place closer to the downtown area, Seika found his own place and was now located near a more rural area.

"You mean, Jiro?"

Koboshi nodded. She had forgotten about Takashi's new friend, Jiro who worked with him in the restaurant. Compared to Seika, he was probably wilder, but she didn't know him as well as she knew Seika.

Takashi shook his head. "No, I don't think he would even do that. The spider probably just found its way inside somehow." He scooped up his own eggs and ham in his plate and joined Koboshi at the table. Hungrily, he began to eat his food.

"How? There are no open windows or doors in the middle of the night."

"Relax, Koboshi! It's gone!"

Koboshi frowned and looked away, her arms folded across her chest.

Takashi sighed. Koboshi was angry. He moved his chair closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Koboshi looked at him, her face still sporting that annoyed look. "Didn't I say before that if something were to come after you, that I would protect you?" He leaned his head against hers. "Albeit spider or not, I would smash those evil villains out the door!"

Koboshi smiled.

"See? I made you laugh!" With that comment, he received a slight shove from her and it made him chuckle. He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before moving back to his spot to finish his breakfast.

"You're such a dork!" Koboshi spoke, laughing. She finished her breakfast first and made her way to the kitchen to dump the plate and fork in the sink. She turned on the faucet and began to rinse her plate, when she felt arms go around her waist.

"Yeah, I'm a dork," Takashi whispered in her ear. "A dork you love!"

Koboshi turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. He was so tall, that she had to go on her tip toes for her to reach his lips. When they were about to kiss, they were interrupted by the doorbell. Takashi sighed, disappointed by the interruption and let go to answer the door. "Who is it?"

No answer.

He glanced over at Koboshi, who just shrugged.

As he opened the door, there was no one there, but on the ground there was a parcel covered with the name "Koboshi Uematsu" on it. "Um...Koboshi, I think there's a package for you." He bent over and picked it up, staring at it for a moment before Koboshi joined his side.

"What is it? Who is it from?"

"I don't know, it's for you. I thought you might know who it came from." He closed the door and handed the package over to his girlfriend.

Koboshi stared at it and opened it slowly, unsure of what to do. When she finished unwrapping the package, all she found inside was a box of chocolates and a small note that said, _From your secret admirer._

"From your secret admirer?" Takashi read out loud as he looked over her shoulder. He grabbed the small note from the inside of the package and stared at it. "Who would send you these chocolates? You think someone from your work is your secret admirer?"

Koboshi shook her head, closing the door behind her. "Most of the guys from my work are either married or have girlfriends." She stared down at the chocolates inside the box. She loved chocolates and as she moved her hand to get one, Takashi grabbed her hand and took the box of chocolate. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Why are you taking chocolates without knowing where it came from? It's probably poisonous." He glanced down at the chocolates and grabbed one for himself. "How about I take the fall and eat one of these chocolates?" He took a bite.

There was concern etched on Koboshi's face as Takashi chewed on the chocolate and swallowed it whole. He stood there for a moment, his face contorting into confusion, then satisfaction then...he coughed and started to choke. Koboshi gasped and ran to him and was about to give him Heimlich maneuver when he suddenly stopped choking and looked at her. "Sorry, I wasn't choking. I was just joking."

Koboshi frowned and punched him as hard as she could in the arm. "You JERK! You scared me to death! If you had choked, I would have left you alone!" She looked away and started walking over to the living room. She plopped down on the couch and folded her arms across her chest angrily. "Jerk..."

"Aww, you don't mean that!" He joined her on the couch and offered her the chocolate she received. "Look, I got you chocolate! I know you love chocolate and you can't resist it OR the handsome one holding these chocolates!"

Koboshi looked at him. He was giving her one of those puppy dog eyes which she usually cannot resist. "Forget the chocolates." She grabbed the box of chocolate and threw it on the table and wrapped her arms around Takashi's neck and kissed him.

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"Here." A tall man with long blond hair dropped a small booklet on a young man's lap. "Your exam is being explained in that book. You better read it or you won't be able to pass the class with flying colours."

The young man glanced down at the book on his lap and sighed, picking it up and skimming through it quickly. After he was finished, he looked back up at the older man and tossed it back to him. "Simple. All I have to do is find some weak human and help her out with her evil desires right?"

The older man shook his head. "Humans are very easy to be tempted, but you cannot forget one thing about them. They have their own will and their own moral hearts can be as strong as their evil ones. Plus, there are also the angels having to finish up their exams that would be one of the factors that you could fail this particular exam."

"Oh Klaus-sensei, I always wondered why you're so uptight and never had a girlfriend. If Shia-san had been good to you, I am sure you wouldn't be THIS cold to anyone."

Klaus turned away. "Just pass the exam and maybe I'll be nice to you and let you do whatever you want. Just remember what was taught to you, Drake. He's watching you." When he was finished with what he said, he walked off into the darkness.

Drake scoffed and stood up, stretching his arms and legs and his medium sized wings. "Yeah, I'm sure he wouldn't mind a little action." He chuckled to himself and flapped his wings until he was off the ground completely. "Lift off!" He flew up into the sky and disappeared.

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She screamed and kicked some cans along the way. No matter how hard she tried, their so-called arguments would turn into a loving kiss. She thought that perhaps if Ayanokouji-sama had seen the little note that it was from Koboshi's secret admirer, that he would get angry and jealous and demand who it was from. Koboshi would be angry at him for being jealous and walk out but she didn't even see the blond woman come out of his house!

Kaoru headed back to her house where her older brother was sitting by the front porch, enjoying his ice cream to cover the heat that was overwhelming the neighbourhood. When he saw her enter through the gates, he greeted her with a nod and a wave. "How did it go? Did she scream and run out of the house when she saw the tarantula or when they saw the chocolates?" He watched as his younger sister joined him on the front porch, still red in the face from being so irritated.

She didn't say a word.

Hiroshi patted his younger sister on the head. "Look, I think what you should do is enjoy a scoop of ice cream and we'll go to an amusement park or something."

Kaoru shook her head. "No. I just wish I could have all my dreams come true and someone to help me get rid of Koboshi-chan, so I can have Ayanokouji-sama all to myself."

Her older brother sighed. "Be careful what you wish for, little sister."

"He's right, you know!" Suddenly, an upside-down head popped up from above her. Startled, Kaoru gasped and stared at the head looking back at her. She turned to her brother who seemed oblivious to the head she was staring at and was too busy finishing his ice cream and looked back at the head. It belonged to a young man, about her age and had short, dark hair. His whole body managed to appear out of nowhere and Kaoru was actually relieved she wasn't looking at just a talking head. The young stranger landed on the ground in front of her and Kaoru noticed he was wearing all black and not a hint of colour in his attire, except his ridiculously bright blue eyes. "When you make a wish, often you are agreeing to sell your soul just to make it come true!"

"Who are you?"

"What?" Hiroshi glanced at his sister.

The stranger chuckled and shook his head, his arms folded across his chest. "Nah, he can't see me. Only you can because lucky for me...I can choose anyone to see me. Lucky for you also, you don't have to say anything because I can just read your mind and your brother won't think you've gone insane."

Kaoru said nothing.

"You're thinking if you HAVE gone insane and just imagining me altogether. Oh well, let me just introduce myself. My name's Drake." He took a step forward and grinned, staring down at her. When she didn't respond, he continued. "That's all right. No formalities then. I already know who you are anyway. Let's see..." Drake reaches from his jacket pocket and takes out a notepad, flipping it through before stopping at a certain page. "You're Mitarai Kaoru, daughter of a very rich businessman and goes to school in Australia with your brother who is two years older. Your dream job...to become Ayanokouji-sama's wife." After he was finished, he closed the notepad and put it back in his jacket.

There were a few moments of silence, Hiroshi ranting on and on about what he did today, before Kaoru stood up and stepped inside the house. She heard her brother asking where she was going, but she ignored it and paused by the living room. Somehow, Kaoru could feel Drake following her. "So what exactly do you want?" She turned to look at the stranger.

Drake was now sitting on the couch, making himself comfortable. He grazed his hand over the soft material of the seat, before answering. "I have no agenda whatsoever. I just thought I could make you happy since you've been miserable since you got here."

"And what do you know about how I feel?"

He looked up and smiled. "Just a feeling." Drake sighed and stood up, his patience running thin. He despised making conversations and he wanted to start on this exam right away. Klaus was watching and so were the other teachers. He stood up and started walking towards her. "Look, I am just going to be blunt about this. I can make your wish come true. If you just listen to all my plans, I am sure we'll BOTH be happy." He gave her another smile.

Kaoru shivered. There was something sinister about that smile, yet she could not help but feel intrigued by this offer he was making. Part of her wanted to decline, but most of her wanted to agree. She backed away and thought for a moment.

Drake turned around. "Or maybe you just don't love him enough..." He started to walk away, but he knew the answer. A human heart was the most delicate thing. Kaoru had a very sensitive one.

"Wait."

The demon stopped and turned to face her.

"What do you want me to do?"

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A/N: AH! Finished my second chapter! Uh oh...what is Kaoru up to? Find out on the next chapter!


	3. A League of their Own

Author's Note: Woot! I am so excited for what's in store for this story! I am just excited to get to the good parts, alas, I have to wait for a while to get to it!

**Chapter 3 – A League of Their Own**

It didn't take that long for her to explain what she planned on doing concerning the new girlfriend her Ayanokouji-sama managed to snag. As soon as she finished, Hiroshi just stood there, astonished at his sister's confidence that this plan of her would actually work.

He was quite hesitant to go ahead with it, but the way Kaoru looked at him with determination in her eyes, his weakness as an older brother seemed to have taken over. Soon, Hiroshi found himself entering the grocery store where Koboshi worked at.

"_All you have to do is use your perfect charm!"_ Kaoru's voice echoed in his ears. He was quickly brought back to the conversation he had with Kaoru earlier, as he made his way to an aisle a bit farther back into the store. Him being away from the checkout counter where Koboshi stood behind, gave him enough time to gather his thoughts.

"_What charm?"_ he had replied to her. He didn't understand what Kaoru meant by that, since he NEVER had a girlfriend.

Still...

Hiroshi looked up and watched as Koboshi was ringing in through some purchases. He never thought the blond tomboy would change so much. Of course, he knew she would, but he never really looked at her. She was always the girl in the trio of Ten and Kotarou circle. She was the one who had the temper and would always beat him up and the one who won the pie eating contest every time there was one all those years ago.

Hiroshi snorted at that thought.

"What's so funny?" a voice spoke from behind him.

Startled, Hiroshi jerked his head towards the voice. Koboshi stood there with a curious look, waiting for him to say something.

"Just reminiscing the good old days," he replied. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and scanned the area around him. "This is a nice place. How long have you worked here?" Hiroshi glanced back at the blond.

"A year," Koboshi answered. "What are you doing here?"

Hiroshi smiled at her. "I was just walking around and thought perhaps I should visit. Also, I was hoping to catch up with my old friends. When's your lunch break?"

Koboshi was taken aback a little with the question. She glanced at her watch. "Actually, I'll be off in about 10 minutes."

"Great! I'll wait and we'll go have lunch. How's that?"

Koboshi was surprised at Hiroshi's straightforward personality. Sure, they hung out almost in the same circle, but his interactions were mainly towards his huge crush on Misha and his so-called rivalry with Ten-chan. She can still remember her only conversation with a then 10 year old purple haired boy resulted in him meeting with her fists. She regretted ever reminiscing that because she felt bad for him. She knew she was violent then.

However, standing in front of her now was not the same Hiroshi Mitarai who had that ridiculous bowl shaped haircut and wore square shaped glasses. The one standing before her was more mature and with the way he stood, he had self confidence. She hasn't seen him for 9 years so it's no surprise he'd change so much.

Finally, after what felt like forever for Hiroshi, Koboshi replied. "Sure! I know this great place for lunch! It's a lot more affordable!"

Hiroshi nodded. "Actually, since it's my treat how about I choose a place?"

The blond girl agreed, chuckling. "All right, your call!"

* * *

Takashi sighed as he left the noisy restaurant. Swiping sweat from his brows, he wandered the streets towards the direction of Haruka's grocery store. He glanced at his watch and remembered that Koboshi was off now and hoped to meet up with her for his break.

"Ah! Ayanokouji-sama?"

The blond stopped, recognizing a young woman's voice. He turned and noticed a pretty girl with short hair, tinted with the colour of dark purple. He blinked, trying to figure out who she was until it dawned on him that no other girl has ever called him "Ayanokouji-sama," except...

"Kaoru?"

Kaoru gave a wide smile when he recognized her. "You remembered me! I'm glad!" She took a few steps towards him.

Takashi examined her for a moment. Surely, this was not the 8 year old Kaoru Mitarai he remembered. Her hair was almost similar from the last time he saw her, yet it got darker at the point of it being close to an ebony colour. She was a lot taller and he could tell she still held that aggressive air about her, but more to a toned down level.

After all, she was still 17.

"Wow, you look great! It's been ages since I last saw you. When did you get here?"

Kaoru thought for a moment, placing a finger under her chin and looking up as if thinking hard. "I arrived about a few hours ago. I was a bit jet-lagged so I rested for a while. You look great yourself, Ayanokouji-sama."

Takashi laughed. "You still call me that?"

"Of course. It's a sign of respect, is it not?" She looked at him, but noticed the way he seemed distracted and kept glancing behind her. "Are you looking for someone?"

Takashi shook his head. "Ah, well I was just on my way out to meet her. I am just on my half an hour break, but I guess she's gone home now."

Kaoru nodded. "I haven't really eaten anything myself. Would you like to join me? I hear there's a nice place around the corner that someone recommended to me. Have you heard of a restaurant called Salad Bowl?"

Takashi chuckled. "Yeah, I always go there and I have a friend who works there too. He's a very good chef and he can probably hook us up to some good food."

"Perfect! Then you can show me!" Without giving it a second thought, she linked arms with him and smiled up at Takashi. Takashi was hesitant for a moment, but he led her down the street anyways to the restaurant.

* * *

The place was not as packed as she expected it to be, but she wasn't very disappointed at all. Conversations over dinner would now be easier to hear compared to the noise of chatter from other tables. They were given the seats by the window overlooking the busy street and were soon given the menus. Koboshi glanced through menu, her eyes widening at the prices, overwhelmed by how much it cost for just a bowl of salad. She had to lean back on her chair to take a deep breath and give Hiroshi a quick glance. "Are you sure we should be eating here? It's ridiculously overpriced, don't you think?"

Hiroshi shrugged, staring at the menu. "The Salad Bowl is known for its prices, BUT has good quality food that is usually recommended for tourists worldwide. I hear a lot of the celebrities come here to eat. Maybe if we stay here long enough, we'll be able to spot one of them."

Koboshi was not convinced, but from the way she looked at him, she seemed amused by his humour. Sighing, she glanced at the menu one more time, keeping her eyes away from the prices and decided on something simple to eat so Hiroshi wouldn't have to spend so much for the both of them. Even if it was his treat and he was rich enough to buy an entire restaurant, it didn't feel right for her to take advantage of it.

"Are you ready to order?" came a voice from out of nowhere.

Both of them looked up and noticed a young man, probably just out of high school and trying to make ends meet by becoming a waiter, holding a small pad of paper and a pen in his hands. Koboshi glanced over at Hiroshi, who waved his hand to wait for her to order first. "Um...I'll just have the Caesar salad with the salmon, please."

"And what would you like to drink?" the young waiter asked.

"Iced tea would be good, thank you."

After he was writing down her order, the waiter turned to Hiroshi. "For yourself, sir?"

Hiroshi ordered something that Koboshi could not quite catch because it was a whole different language and a glass of orange juice. After he finished ordering, the waiter took their menus and left. Koboshi sat back on her chair and looked over at Hiroshi. "So how you been? Been busy with your father's company?"

Hiroshi shook his head. "Not as much. I told my father I am giving myself a break so I could come here and visit my old friends and perhaps reconcile some old wounds?" The blond girl gave him a questioning stare, but Hiroshi shook his head and chuckled. "Ah, it's nothing for you to worry about. So what about you? You got a boyfriend?"

Koboshi was taken aback by this surprise, but she answered anyway. There was no harm in such a question. "Yes and you know him." She smiled.

"I hope he's been treating you well."

She frowned, seemed to be offended by the way he said it. "Of course, why wouldn't he?"

Hiroshi laughed, waving his hands. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. So who is this guy that you think I know?"

"Ten-chan," was her only answer, before the waiter came back with their drinks.

* * *

It didn't take that long for them to reach the restaurant. They crossed the street slowly to get to their destination. Takashi and Kaoru managed to find a convenient spot close to the window and at a booth right behind another couple. When he sat down, he quickly glanced at his cell phone, quite sad that Koboshi hadn't called him back yet and placed his phone back in his pocket.

"Ten-chan," a woman's voice spoke.

Takashi blinked. He thought he heard Koboshi behind him and he slowly turned his head to see who it was.

"Ayanokouji-sama, are you ready to order?"

He was interrupted by Kaoru's voice and he turned back around to face her. A waitress was already there, ready to take their order. Takashi nodded and both made their order.

"So, what have you been up to, Ayanokouji-sama?" Kaoru asked, breaking the moment of silence between them. Takashi was always amused by the young woman's exuberance. Perhaps he was just getting old, even though he was only 19 years old. A little of Kaoru's personality reminded him of Koboshi and they could be mistaken as sisters.

"I've just been working in the restaurant and biding my time," Takashi replied.

"For what?"

Takashi shrugged. "For the right moment..."

Kaoru looked at him curiously, but it seemed he wasn't going to elaborate on what he was going to say so she decided to change the subject. "That's good you're living your life the way you want it."

"What about you, what have you been doing?"

Kaoru frowned. "Trying to find the meaning in life."

Takashi didn't say a word and also chose not to press on the subject any further.

After about 15 minutes or so, when their plates were empty and all cleared out, the restaurant itself was getting quieter now. Everyone finished their lunch breaks and had gone back to work or had gone home. Satisfied, Takashi folded his arms across his chest and sat back on his chair. He was quite surprised that the food came so quickly that he had enough time to eat it all in one gulp and catch up with Kaoru. Behind him, he could clearly hear the people talking and was surprised that they have been there longer than they have.

Kaoru smiled and stood up. "Excuse me. I have to go to the bathroom."

Takashi nodded and watched her go.

"I have a confession to make," the man spoke. Takashi could hear every word the man was saying behind him clearly, although he couldn't help but think that the voice sounded so familiar. He stopped moving and listened on, curious about the voice. "Would you be willing to listen to a desperate man?"

"Of course," the other voice replied.

Takashi was startled. _'Koboshi!?'_

"I have always been in love with you. Ever since I came back, I've been dying to tell you how I feel. When I mentioned to you about old wounds, I knew that Ayanokouji was intended for you so I kept it a secret. I knew how he felt about you. Heck, he was perfect for you."

'_What?'_

"Hiroshi-kun...what?"

There was silence.

"What are you doing? Let go of me."

"_WHAT!?"_

Takashi suddenly slammed a hand down on the table and stood up, swiftly turning around to face the couple behind him. "Mitarai! What the hell are you doing!?" Before he could control himself, he lunged forward and grabbed Hiroshi and punched him. The other man had no time to react and he landed on the floor, his face bleeding. Hiroshi managed to get up, but only on his knees and he was nursing his broken nose. He looked up to see Takashi glaring down at him. "Stay away from my girlfriend!" Takashi hissed.

"Ten-chan? What are you doing here?"

"Let's go." He grabbed Koboshi's hand and dragged her out. Before he walked out, he handed the waitress serving them a hundred dollar bill and said, "Keep the change."

"Hey! Let go!" Koboshi managed to pull her arm from his grip and they were not outside the restaurant. "What did you do that for!?"

"He was trying to confess his feelings for you!"

"So?"

"So!? He tried to grab you, didn't he?"

Koboshi looked away. "Well...yeah, but-"

"But NOTHING, Koboshi! He was practically all over you! I am not going to let some pervert take advantage of someone I care for!"

"Don't yell, Ten-chan..."

Takashi took a deep breath. Usually, Takashi was the calmer one out of the two of them, but the reversal of roles was quite clear in this one. He paced back and forth and glanced over at the windows where people who had seen what happened were whispering to each other and seemed to be glaring at him. They felt sorry for Hiroshi who was being cared for by his sister at this point.

Koboshi sighed. "Don't you think I could have handled that on my own?"

He turned his head towards her. "What do you mean? Why did you even go to lunch with that bozo? I tried calling you and you're not even answering! Why didn't you answer, when I called!?"

The blond woman was now beginning to feel flustered. "What? What am I, your dog?" She planted her arms on her hips angrily.

"That's not what I mean-"

"Of COURSE that's what you mean. If you had gone to lunch with a friend, would you expect me to tell you to be at my beck and call? Do I have to report everything that I do!? I am old enough to handle my own situations, thank you very much!"

"What's wrong with me being worried?"

"I'll tell you what's wrong..." Koboshi took a step forward towards him. "You think I'm too weak and can't do things on my own! You don't trust me enough to make my own decisions! You're like an old, annoying father who can't trust his own daughter!"

Takashi was offended by her comment. He frowned. "So this is how you think of me? Fine. If I am acting just like your dad, then I guess there's something wrong with this relationship." Without another word, he turned and left.

Koboshi stood there, astonished by his move. It didn't make sense at all. She was supposed to be the one to walk away.

* * *

"Well how about that!?" Drake chuckled, as he watched the whole scene unfold with Kaoru. Hiroshi had gone to the bathroom to wipe the blood off his face. Kaoru was near the entrance and watching the whole conversation which she was glad did not end so well. "You should thank me," Drake continued on.

"For what?" Kaoru dared not look at the demon straight in the eye, because she was still in public and if anyone saw her talking to someone, they would deem her as insane after all.

"I came up with the idea!"

"You did not!"

"I didn't what?" Kaoru turned. Hiroshi had come back from the bathroom and was holding a tissue on his nose to stop the bleeding.

"Nothing." She looked back at the couple as Takashi walked away from Koboshi and gave a smile.

Drake watched her and also gave a smile. It would only be a matter of time before her heart grows darker. He'll ace this test for sure!

* * *

A/N: OMG! I broke my promise! I am sorry but I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as me writing it! Wow.....that was a long one. I just hope it wasn't too fast. I just wanted to get to the good parts!

SO...it looks like Kaoru and Drake's plan has come into motion. What will happen next to our star-crossed lovers? 


	4. ReMatch

A/N: WOW! How long has it been! I'm sorry everyone! I just have had such a busy year and I guess part of me gave up, but I DID miss writing. Thank you for your continued support so as a thank you, here is the latest chapter for you all to enjoy!

**Chapter 4 – Re-Match **

An evident breeze flew pass him, autumn was near as leaves began to fall. He zipped up his jacket all the way and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Cold air escaped his lips as he took a deep breath and walked down a lonely street right behind his apartment. It's been a few days, almost a week since their big argument. Koboshi was avoiding him at all cost, even taking earlier shifts for work so she wouldn't bump into him. She seemed to know his schedule, because she was very good at not seeing him by working late when he worked late and going out somewhere in the morning as he got up in the days he had morning shifts. He knew she was stubborn and she wanted him to apologize first before she did. In a way, Takashi knew it was his fault for being jealous, but he could see right through Hiroshi that he was trying to take her away from him.

It was working.

He sighed and instead of going straight to the apartment, he took a turn towards the one place he knew Koboshi would usually go if they had an argument. Her cousin, Hinari, her husband and their 1 year old child were now living in her Aunt Minako's brick house. Hinari loved western designs, but the garden her mother cherished dearly, stayed in the front and back lawns to magnify the beauty surrounding the house. Takashi stood in the front and peeked inside. No one seemed to be home, but it's possible that they were in the backyard, probably having tea and biscuits.

"Hi, Ayanokouji-sama!"

Takashi turned his head and saw Kaoru standing there with a big smile on her face. He nodded, smiling back at her. "Hey, Kaoru. What brings you here?"

Kaoru tilted her head in curiosity and glanced at the house they were standing in front of. "I was going to ask you the same thing. My former music teacher lives here and she asked me to come over and have some tea and biscuits with her."

"Your former music teacher is Hinari-san?"

Kaoru smiled and nodded. "Yes!"

"Oh! Kaoru-chan!"

Both Takashi and Kaoru turned their heads to where the voice was coming from. Hinari, a woman in her 30's came around from the back, holding a little girl's hand. Behind her stood her husband, a tall dark haired man, Koboshi and another familiar young man.

"_Hiroshi...What the hell is HE doing here?" _he thought.

Koboshi was surprised to see Takashi standing there with Kaoru. She frowned, feeling a little jealous. But she wasn't going to show that in front of Takashi. He was the one who decided to embarrass her in front of everyone. And really, Hiroshi meant no harm.

Takashi could feel his hands clenching with annoyance. This wasn't going to be easy talking with Koboshi. He knew Hiroshi would stand in the way. Hiroshi was always competitive with everything he did and now, he was doing exactly what Takashi was doing with Hiroshi when they were in middle school. Show off the prize underneath a bright spotlight.

"Why don't you two come in? I'm so glad you're all here!" Hinari ignored the tension surrounding Takashi and Koboshi. Her young cousin had told her everything that had happened between them. In a way, she should be taking Koboshi's side, but it's possible that the truth could be hidden somewhere and stories might have been twisted around, so she chooses not to take anyone's side right now. She dearly cares for Takashi and he was a perfect fit for her stubborn cousin.

"Thank you very much, Hinari-san!" Kaoru replied in a sing-song voice. To add more tension, she linked arms with Takashi as they followed the group to the back. Koboshi's face turned red in frustration as she was the only one who had seen it, ignoring Hiroshi as he went on to talk about the business he was going to take over after his father passed on. She turned away and walked back to the backyard in silence.

The gathering became more of a lesson than any kind of reunion. Hinari spoke the whole time with Kaoru about their music lessons together, while her husband played with their 1 year old daughter nearby. Koboshi sat, her arms folded across from her and glaring towards Kaoru sitting beside her boyfriend. Takashi sat there, feeling a little awkward and didn't know how to break off sitting with Kaoru so he could talk to his girlfriend. Hiroshi continued on with his conversation, (mostly to himself) with Koboshi.

"_Come on, Takashi. You can do this. Remove your pride and be with the one you love." _He said to himself. He couldn't take it anymore. It was already almost a week and he couldn't stand not being able to talk to her. Before he could even make a decision to talk with Koboshi, she stood up to join her cousin-in-law to play with her little niece, Hana. Hiroshi also joined her and Takashi watched as the both of them played with Hana, a mental image suddenly playing in his head that they looked to be a perfect family at that moment. His eyes widened in fear and he quickly stood up, walking up to them.

"Koboshi, I need to talk to you," he said.

Koboshi ignored him.

"Please."

Takashi was patient and Koboshi knew that he CAN be very patient. He could stand there all day if he had to and he can be very persistent with his requests. Sighing, Koboshi stood up and the two of them went inside the living room to talk.

* * *

"HEY!"

Kaoru was startled almost out of her seat.

Hinari stopped in the middle of their conversation and looked at her curiously. "Is something wrong?"

The purple haired girl looked around. She was so engulfed in their conversation that she forgot about Takashi. Kaoru looked around and saw no sign of Takashi OR Koboshi. Her older brother was too occupied to do his part by distracting Koboshi and before she could even get a chance to look for her Ayanokouji-sama, the sliding door that led to the kitchen opened. Koboshi came out, followed by Takashi and both of them had dishevelled hair. Takashi was buttoning his polo shirt closed, while Koboshi was straightening her blouse, clearing her throat and with a smile on both their faces.

Hinari had also seen their appearances after coming out of the kitchen. "I see you've made up?" she said with a smile on her face.

"Tsk! Tsk! Another failure, eh?" Drake stood beside Kaoru, watching as the two lovebirds rejoined them around the table. "Come on, Kaoru, you have to think outside of the box if you want to break these two up!"

Kaoru ignored him. She knew he was right though. She had to think of something else better than to get Koboshi's cousin involved. Kaoru had overlooked the fact that Koboshi was her music teacher's cousin and with Koboshi and Ayanokouji-sama dating, chances are, Hinari-san would take a liking to Takashi. She would have to up her game more so Koboshi wouldn't be able to stand a chance against her.

There was only one way, but she wasn't ready yet. It would have to take lots of preparations.

Kaoru stood up. "I really enjoyed my time with you, Hinari-san, but I think it's time for me and my brother to get going."

"Oh really?" Hinari had a disappointed tone in her voice. She really was enjoying her conversation with her former student. She was quite proud of Kaoru's accomplishments in music. "Perhaps the next time we have this, you think I could hear you sing once again? I truly enjoy your beautiful voice!"

Kaoru smiled. "Of course!" Perhaps she COULD make a use out of Hinari-san after all. She bowed. "Arigatou-gozaimasu, Hinari-san! Thank you, for your hospitality. To the both of you and your husband."

Hinari stood up and gave her a hug. "It was really nice seeing you and your brother again, Kaoru-chan! Come visit us any time you are free to do so, okay?"

"Hai! Let's go, Oniichan! Have a good day to you, Ayanokouji-sama!" Without a thought of everyone around them, she leaned over and gave Takashi a kiss on the cheek. Koboshi's eyes widened and quickly pulled Takashi slightly away from Kaoru. Kaoru gave her a smile. "And to you too, Koboshi-chan." She turned and left, followed by Hiroshi.

* * *

It was taking such a long time. His prospect wasn't doing very well as he thought she would. However, Drake was confident that Kaoru was getting close and the more she thought of a plot to break up the two, the more he felt he was graded higher than anticipated. The more Kaoru thought of ways to make Koboshi jealous, the more Drake continued to run her thoughts with deceptive pleasures. Kaoru was still very young, but Koboshi and Takashi were more of a challenge than Kaoru was. There was just something that protected them from having any kind of strain in their relationship. Sure, Kaoru HAD been successful in getting Takashi jealous with the help of her brother, but twice in a row, it still ended up a failure. He was just missing something.

Drake made his way to the library, glancing around with a look of disgust in his face. He hated reading, but he was too eager to ignore the reasons of Kaoru's failures. Perhaps it was the lack of Kaoru's "sex-appeal" that dragged his grades down or...He ran his fingers against the bindings of the books on the shelves and came upon a book titled: "Reasons why breaking up is hard to do," by Unknown Author. Drake paused and pulled the book out. He flipped through the pages quickly, noticing that most of the things written in the book were about why relationships, either through marriage or dating could not work out. He sat down, looking around to make sure no one was watching him and began reading it from the beginning.

As he read through it, a smile began to form on his face. He had found the missing piece and he knew this was the answer to all his failures. They've been going at it wrong, and Drake knew where to start. Kaoru would have to be ready, but he knew she was going to be from what was to come.

* * *

It felt as though they've been gone for a year, but they've only been away on vacation for two months. Misha stretched her arms high in the air and gave a big yawn as she joined Kotarou on the couch. After being away from home and vacationing in Spain to visit her parents in Barcelona, all they wanted to do was sit on their couch comfortably without two adults looking over them as they spend time alone. "You think Koboshi-chan and Ten-chan, missed us?"

Kotarou chuckled. "You think THOSE two would miss us? Nah, I think they're all right." He grabbed Misha's hand and kissed the back of it. "You think your parents liked me?" He had to ask, because he wasn't sure how her parents reacted to the news that their daughter had decided to become human instead of continuing her education as an angel. Barcelona was a nice place, filled with beautiful ancient Spanish style cathedrals, homes and markets. Misha's parents weren't there on vacation, however. They were important Archangels that were assigned by God to watch over Spain for the duration of a hundred years in each city. This time, they were in Barcelona and they specifically told Misha to come to that city when they heard the news of her being a mortal from their eldest daughter. At first, Kotarou wasn't too keen on the idea of going all the way to Spain just so he could introduce himself, but Misha had begged him until he finally gave in. He had no regrets though, because he had a great time there with Misha right by his side.

Misha laid her head on his shoulder. "I think my parents LOVED you," she replied without Kotarou even saying a word. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and suddenly stood up. "BUT...I have to go visit Koboshi-chan and Ten-chan! They're our best friends and I think Koboshi-chan would be excited to get the chocolates I got for her from Spain. Let's go!" She took Kotarou's hands and helped him up on his feet.

"All right, all right, let's go." He followed Misha towards the door and was suddenly stopped in his tracks when he noticed Misha shivering. "Misha? Are you all right?" He placed a hand on her shoulder.

Misha turned, her face turning white and her mouth turning into a sad frown.

Kotarou had a look of concern on his face. "What is it? What's the matter?"

"I'm cold. There's something wrong. It's...it's Koboshi-chan and Ten-chan and...Kaoru-chan?"

"Kaoru? But she's in Australia, isn't she?"

She shook her head. "No. She's back with Hiroshi-kun. We have to go to them, quickly!" Misha grabbed Kotarou's hand hastily and dragged him out the door.

* * *

A/N: Uh oh! I wonder what this big thing Drake is planning to do to break up the couple. And I'm actually quite glad I brought Misha and Kotarou back here, because I DO have plans for them, don't worry! But this WILL stay as Takashi/Koboshi story (obviously). Stay tuned for the next chapter! Love you all!


	5. If you're lucky, no one will get hurt

A/N: Hi y'all! Hope you enjoyed the last chapter! I know it was sort of "boring," but it was just my way to prepare for the upcoming chapters ahead for the climax!

Last chapter re-cap: SO, Kaoru's plans fails again. Takashi and Koboshi have made up (after making out in the living room) and Drake finds out a way to break up the two so he could get higher grades. Misha and Kotarou are back from their vacation in Spain, but not before Misha gets a bad feeling about Koboshi and Ten-chan. That's what you missed on..."GLEE!" Kidding! I mean, in this story! *ahem* Anyways, here you go folks! Chapter 5!

* * *

**Chapter 5 – If you're lucky, no one will get hurt **

It was quite a shock when the door burst open. Startled, thinking that they were getting robbed, Takashi (in the middle of cooking something for dinner), grabbed a pan, while Koboshi grabbed a plate closest to her, ready to strike the robbers. It was only by Kotarou yelling "Stop!" did they realize that as soon as the door opened, two of the most important people in their lives were the ones budging in.

Takashi had left the door open and Koboshi gave him a look of annoyance, but remembered that she had distracted him with a kiss and she knew she was at fault because he had forgotten to lock the door as a result.

"Misha-san! Kotarou-kun!" Koboshi exclaimed. "You're...you're back!" She saw the look of worry on Misha's face. "What is it? Is something the matter?"

Misha was on a verge of tears and she ran to Koboshi and gave her a full hug. She was a lot taller than the blond girl, so she had to bend down a little. When she could no longer hold it, Misha began to cry on her shoulders. Koboshi was confused, but also very concerned. She glanced at Kotarou. "What did you do?"

Kotarou shrugged. "Hey, I didn't do anything! When we got back, she really wanted to give you chocolates from Spain and she just suddenly became concerned about something."

"About what?" Koboshi pulled herself away from Misha. "What are you concerned about, Misha-chan?"

Misha was crying so hard that it took her a while to calm down and explain her concerns to her two friends. "I felt that there was something wrong between you two. You had a big argument and that somehow, Kaoru-chan was involved. I feel something really bad is going to happen."

"_Kaoru?" _the blond girl thought. Koboshi gave a sympathetic smile. "Awww, Misha-chan...nothing's bad going to happen. Ten-chan and I had a fight, but we're okay now! We still love each other!" She had to admit, she was flattered by Misha's concern with her and Ten-chan's relationship. Although Misha was a little bit older than all three of them, she still acted like a precious child and Koboshi loved her dearly like a little sister she never had. She gave the older girl a hug and sat her down on the couch to talk.

Kotarou and Takashi decided to leave the girls alone to talk. They sat in the kitchen to catch up on Kotarou's vacation in Spain and meeting Misha's parents. Takashi also told his story on what had happened between him and Koboshi and that the Mitarai brother and sister team were in town. Of course, Takashi left out the big part that he had gone crazy over the fact that Hiroshi had confessed to his girlfriend on his feelings for her. He was quite confused, however, when he saw no evidence that Hiroshi showed any emotional attachment to Koboshi when they were at Hinari's house.

In the other room, Misha was explaining to Koboshi what she had felt when they were leaving their apartment to meet up with them. It was hard to explain, however, Koboshi understood some of what she was trying to say. Although she knew of Kaoru's undying devotion to her "Ayanokouji-sama," she doesn't think the younger girl would be capable of doing remotely "evil" to break the two of them up. Of course, today was sort of a revelation that there was potential for her to do so, but Koboshi had faith that her relationship with Ten-chan was much stronger than Kaoru's conviction that she belonged to Takashi. She glanced over to the two men talking and for a fleeting moment, she locked eyes with Takashi. Koboshi gave a smile and he returned it with a wink.

Yes. She trusted him.

After the girls were finished talking, they joined their boyfriends in the dining room. Although Ten-chan and Koboshi had no idea their two best friends were coming home today, it seemed they had enough food for all four of them for supper. That night, they all ate together, but Misha still had a bad feeling about something.

* * *

"Whatcha got there?"

Drake closed the book. He looked up and noticed Klaus approaching him with a serious look on his face. "Nothing." He turned the book so the title could not be seen.

Klaus noticed small bags under his eyes, showing that this young demon had been reading a book for hours on end. Curiously, without a protest from Drake, he flipped the book over to see the title. "So you're reading books now? Is it that really hard of an exam, Drake? The higher ups wouldn't be too happy with me if they find out you did well on your exam and I have to make an excuse on why. This is not an open book exam. Don't you want to make your mother proud by passing the exam without having to cheat?"

Drake smirked. "Isn't that what demons do, Klaus-sensei? Cheat?"

Klaus nodded. "Good answer. You have passed your first exam."

"What?" Drake gave Klaus a confused look. He thought there was only one exam.

"You heard me, you passed. Your next exam is to follow up with your last one." Klaus tapped his fingers on the book twice, before looking back at him. "You said demons, cheat right? Well, they also lie." He turned and left. Drake looked back down at the book, his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. All it took was to say the right words for him to pass the first exam?

* * *

It was a beautiful Friday night. The weekend was generally the busiest days in many places, but in Tokyo, it was non-stop. Takashi decided to take Koboshi out on a date in Japan's capital and explore the places they hadn't had a chance to see. He promised Kotarou that they would have guy time when they got back from their trip and Koboshi can spend time with Misha. Since it was Takashi's study break from his classes and Koboshi hadn't started school yet, they decided to go on this trip. For months they were excited for this trip and the two of them worked hard to save up enough money to go to Tokyo.

"This is amazing!" Koboshi kept saying as she absorbed the lights and sounds of Tokyo. Takashi couldn't help but laugh at her child-like attitude with the city as she dragged him along the streets, her hand clutched tightly with his. It was cute and he loved her for it.

They took in the sights and the attractions before heading to the hotel that Takashi booked for the both of them. It was a nice and relaxing time and the two of them decided to take a walk some more after they have settled their things down in their room. Koboshi wanted to try out the new food booth she had heard so much about from Takashi's old roommate, Seika. Apparently, this food booth near the Tokyo Tower had the best takoyaki in town. Seika was no liar and both Takashi and Koboshi were curious and wanted to try it out themselves. It took a while to figure out where it was and they finally found it just by the entrance of Tokyo Tower.

"Mmmmm! Seika was right! This is delicious! I could eat a lot of these!" Koboshi finished hers first, while Takashi took his time in enjoying the taste as he chewed. He could tell she wanted more and he looked at her playfully, grinning.

"What, you want this?"

Koboshi shook her head. "N-no, it's all right!" She gave a nervous grin and looked away, pretending to be looking at something else. Just as she was about to turn her head back around at Takashi, something else caught the corner of her eyes. "Hey, what's that?" She pointed to something up in the sky.

"What?" Takashi replied, his mouth full of takoyaki. He turned to see a blinking red light in the sky. They both knew it was an airplane, but something wasn't right about that. It was falling. And at a fast speed. "It's a plane."

"Why is it going down?"

"Oh my God..."

Koboshi's eyes widened in fear. She glanced at Takashi. "Is it crashing?"

Takashi couldn't believe his own eyes as the both of them watched the light falling faster and faster towards the ground. The owner of the takoyaki food stand joined them to watch in horror as the light disappeared and a sound of something big crashing in the distance. Soon, it was followed by the sound of sirens as fire trucks, cop cars and ambulances roared pass them in a haze. Takashi took Koboshi by the hand. "Let's get back to the hotel."

Without a word, the two of them walked back to their hotel, in shock and in disarray at what they had seen. Both of them wondered the same thing. How are the families in that crash feeling when they see their loved ones in that plane? Instantly, they both looked at each other, thinking if the other had been in that plane. What would life be like without each other? Koboshi had tears in her eyes, imagining Takashi in that plane, or her parents. Takashi wrapped his arms around her and they sat in bed in silence.

That same night, as they lay in bed, Takashi couldn't sleep. He could hear Koboshi beside him, still crying. "Koboshi?" He turned to look at her. Koboshi's back was towards him. "Hey..." He placed a hand on her shoulder and she turned to face him. "I'm here. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

She said nothing as she moves closer to him to rest her face against his chest.

At that same moment, the hotel phone began to ring. Takashi sighed and reached over to answer the phone. "Hello?"

"Are you willing to answer a collect call?" It was the operator on the other line speaking to him in a monotone voice.

"Y-yeah..."

"Hang on one moment please." There was a click, followed by a ring, then a voice on the other line. "A-Ayanokouji-sama?"

"Kaoru?" Takashi sat up and turned on the lamplight.

Koboshi wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at Takashi. "What is it?"

Takashi looked at her, shaking his head. "Kaoru, is that you?"

"Y-yes...it's...it's me. I'm sorry to disturb you."

"N-no it's fine. What's the matter?" Koboshi leaned her ear against the phone so she could also hear.

There was silence, then Kaoru began to speak again. "I'm sorry. I couldn't find anyone else to call. Onii-sama already went to the emergency room and...and..." She stopped again and began to cry on the other line.

"What happened?" Takashi asked.

"There was a plane crash two hours ago and...my parents...I didn't know they were coming and...I guess they wanted to surprise us with a visit. They...they were in that crash and...and so Onii-sama went there to confirm...they're...they're dead, Ayanokouji-sama. I..." She could no longer talk as the rest of her sentence continued only with sobs. "Please tell, Koboshi...Koboshi-chan that I'm sorry to disturb you..."

Takashi shook his head. "No, it's fine. She said it's fine. Where are you now?" He got up from bed and began to dress.

Koboshi felt sympathy for the young girl, but she couldn't help but wonder if this was some kind of joke, but then again, it was also quite hard to disbelieve that something like this could happen to the Mitarai family.

"I'm...I'm standing outside the Tokyo Hospital. I can't go in...but I want to talk to someone. No one else could understand me like you do, Ayanokouji-sama..."

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"No...I just want to be out of here. Please take me away from here."

"Okay, I'll come get you." He hung up and looked back at Koboshi after he was fully dressed. "Kaoru doesn't sound good."

"Well, of course not. Her parents just died. You go and pick her up. We can probably book her a room or something." Koboshi got up from bed and quickly dressed. "I'll come with you downstairs and you can go and get her, while I book her room."

Takashi nodded.

* * *

She stood there, shaking in disbelief. This couldn't be happening to her. This was a lie. A dream. Her parents can't possibly be dead. The bodies in the hospital must not be confirmed to be her parents. Their lives are too valuable to waste on a plane crash. The Mitarai family were strong and could withstand the face of death. Kaoru walked out of the entrance to the Tokyo hospital. Her brother had not come out of the hospital for about an hour and she refused to go inside and get warm. She hated hospitals and she wasn't about to smell death in her nostrils.

If only she could be held in Ayanokouji-sama's arms right now, then she would feel better. If only Koboshi-chan hadn't taken her place as his girlfriend. If only she had come back soon enough so she could be in his warmth instead of someone else. She wrapped her arms around herself and walked across the street towards a lonely park. It was dark, but she didn't care. As if anyone would notice a young girl with dark purple hair. If she had been blond, she probably would have been noticed. She hated her. She hated Koboshi Uematsu. Everything about her. She was a perfect blond.

In a way, she can understand why Ayanokouji-sama would love her. Koboshi had a perfect figure. She worked, unlike herself where money would be thrown at her feet. She was smart. Perhaps only street smarts, but Ayanokouji-sama was probably the kind of man where he liked those types of girls. But Kaoru was richer. She was prettier and able to give Ayanokouji-sama a better life, now with the money she earns from her parents' will. Koboshi was nothing more than an average woman with an income that probably couldn't hold them both as husband and wife.

She hated her.

"Kaoru! What are you doing! Are you crazy!"

Kaoru looked up. She found herself face to face with Ayanokouji-sama. It took her a moment to realize that was standing in the middle of the street and cars were honking at them. She felt a hand grab her hand as she was being pulled at the side of the road. "Are you trying to kill yourself!"

Kaoru smiled, as if she had been drunk. Suddenly, her smile disappeared to replace a sad, lonely girl. "Oh there you are, Ayanokouji-sama! I knew you'd come! My parents...my parents...WAAHHHHH-!" She collapsed in his arms and she began to cry as much as she could muster. Takashi wrapped his arms around her and they stayed like that until Kaoru was too tired to cry and had fallen asleep. He lifted her up in his arms and took her back to the car and to the hotel.

* * *

Life. Humans waste many years of it. He didn't understand why he would even bother trying to tempt any of them with their desires and dreams to pass an exam that most demons his age hadn't been able to pass with flying colours. However, as he hovered in the air and watched this one pathetic human they called, Kaoru, he couldn't help but sort of want to have her desires and dreams come true. She was being carried off in the arms of the man she was desperately obsessed with and he flew right above the rented car and followed them to a hotel. Drake had been watching Kaoru from the moment she saw the plane flying head first into the ground and until the time she was almost hit by a car and rescued by the blond man affectionately called "Ten-chan" by most of his friends. He smiled to himself, feeling the wind blowing back his short, brown hair as he flew pass a few cars below. Suddenly, he felt something heavy weighing him down and he opened his eyes. Another spirit was nearby.

Drake glanced down and noticed someone looking up at him from below. She was a young woman, clothed in a black dress with long dark hair. She gave a smile, but it wasn't a happy one. It was as if she was telling him that she wasn't happy about something. After she was done looking at him, she turned and vanished into thin air. Drake didn't give the girl a second thought and joined Takashi and Kaoru as they parked in front of the hotel. They joined Koboshi in the lobby where she was waiting and decided to just watch the scene unfold.

"Kaoru! I heard what happened! Are you all right?" Koboshi ran up to the younger girl and gave her a comforting hug.

Kaoru winced, unable to react properly to this kind gesture. She knew that this blond girl knew she was very much in love with her boyfriend. She said nothing.

"I think she's had a tough day today, Koboshi," Takashi explained. He turned to Kaoru. "We got you a room so you can rest up for a while. Why don't you go ahead and do that and then tomorrow the three of us can go get your brother? I'll call him up and let him know that you're with us."

Kaoru nodded, but she turned to look back at Takashi. "Ayanokouji-sama, would it be all right if you could take me to my room?"

Koboshi glanced at Takashi. Ten-chan gave his girlfriend a reassuring look that she should trust him, knowing how Kaoru felt about him and agreed to what Kaoru asked for. Koboshi watched as they headed to the room they paid for Kaoru and decided to wait in the lobby.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I know it's another boring chapter, but I didn't want to hurry so much. A build up is very important for a story, but don't worry it's getting there! I know it's a long chapter! Please r/r! Thank you!


	6. Don't you know who I think I am?

A/N: WOW! It has been a very long time indeed! I forgot how much I missed writing. I have nothing else to say so…here it is!

**Chapter 6 – Don't you know who I think I am?**

The room had a nice view. It was far too large for her, but it was something she was already used to. Her room back in Australia was as big as this one. Kaoru sauntered over to the window and opened the curtains where only but the darkness and the light from the top of Tokyo Tower could be seen. It was beautiful to see, but all she could think about was the airplane crashing and her parents screaming in fear. She closed her eyes, choking back tears.

"Are you all right?" Takashi's voice spoke through the dim light of the room.

Kaoru nodded as she turned to face him. He was just so handsome standing there. His golden hair shining from the little light peeking from the ceiling and he was so tall, that it was odd seeing him stand beside a very petite Koboshi Uematsu. In fact, Kaoru was a lot taller than Koboshi and she would fit better in his arms without him having to bend down a little.

Takashi stuffed in his hands in his pockets, awkwardly. "So uh…why don't you rest and I'll come wake you up in the morning okay?"

"I just want to say thank you…for everything."

Takashi nodded. "No problem. Have a good night." He was about to leave when he felt a small hand grab his. Takashi paused and looked back. Kaoru had grabbed his hand and gently, she was pulling him towards her. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him, without giving Takashi a chance to react. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, then walked away, as if nothing had happened.

"Good night," she replied. She turned to face the window again and watched Takashi through the reflection of the window. He stood there for a while, wondering how to react to what she did and when he still couldn't figure it out, she heard the door close behind her. Kaoru smiled to herself, happy that she could kiss him. It was enough to make her feel better. Sighing, she turned off the lights to allow only the moonlight through the window and plopped down on the bed.

"Don't worry you'll get your wish," a voice came in the darkness.

Kaoru wasn't surprised at this. She knew Drake had been in the room the whole time and usually had a few words to say after the other humans left. She didn't understand why she was the only one who could see him.

* * *

She felt a little bit of apprehension as she stared out the window, wondering what was going on now in Kaoru's room. Koboshi knew there really was nothing and that she should trust Ten-chan in whatever decisions he made. After all, they were both adults. He has already made it clear who he loved.

Koboshi turned her head towards the clock blinking on the bedside table. It was almost 5 am and the sunlight was just peeking over the horizon. She had lost track now on how many hours they have been in Tokyo before they got interrupted by the tragic accident that happened to Kaoru's parents.

As soon as she finally made her decision to go back to bed, Koboshi saw the door opening. Slowly, perhaps thinking that she was fast asleep, Takashi entered back into the room. When he was saw her just climbing into bed, he approached her and gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I was kind of worried about Kaoru. She was crying all night and I thought I should wait before she finally went to sleep."

Koboshi shook her head. "It's all right," she answered, although albeit quite unsure whether her response was an honest one. Takashi didn't seem to notice, however that her tone seemed, to her, a little bit vexed.

"You didn't go back to sleep?" he asked her, a little bit worried that she didn't get enough sleep. He climbed back to bed on his side and laid beside her, staring into her eyes.

"I…couldn't sleep," was the only answer she could come up with. She blinked and gave him a smile.

It was then that he took notice of the worry etched on her face. "Are you still worried?"

Koboshi stared at him. "About what?"

Takashi sighed, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "Koboshi, how can you still not believe me? Nothing will ever happen between Kaoru and I."

That was it. He could read her like a book and Koboshi, knowing full well the guilt she felt of feeling the way she did, moved closer against the warm body beside her and buried her face in his chest. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to make our weekend perfect and…you know…"

"Yeah…I know." Takashi sighed and kissed her forehead. "Tomorrow, once we drop off Kaoru to the hospital, her brother will be there to take over in watching her and we'll have the weekend all to ourselves."

Although she has known Takashi for most of her life and that he was a natural charmer, Koboshi couldn't help but blush at that thought. She was getting excited for whatever Takashi had planned for their wonderful weekend alone in the beautiful city of Tokyo.

* * *

Morning had finally settled in and the ray of the sun was starting to be so unbearable through the window that it woke up the sleeping form on the bed. Koboshi tiredly opened one eye and stretched before opening both her eyes to the day. She glanced over to the clock and read that it was already almost noon. Startled by the time, Koboshi quickly sat up and her head swerved to the right where Takashi was supposed to be. However, he was already awake and was also not in the room.

Curious, she called his name, thinking that he could be in the bathroom taking a shower, but she didn't hear the water running at all. When she confirmed he was no longer inside, she put on her slippers and walked over to the window.

Tokyo had a beautiful sight in the morning. It was a complete opposite of the night life she knew when they first arrived here. Last night, there were countless sleepless people walking the streets and trying out all the food vendors available to them. The lights from buildings, especially Tokyo Tower were so bright that it was like a giant spotlight radiating the city. There was countless noise of cars and other forms of transportation being used as the people went to and fro and enjoying it all.

As she watched the people below, sure, they were still walking to and fro, but everyone were in their business suits and continued on with their day as they head to work. Those who were selling food in their little carts could only make business out of people who had time to stand in line and buy food from them.

She heard the door open behind her. Koboshi turned slowly and was happy that it was Takashi, carrying two cups of coffee in his hands. "Hey. How was your sleep?" Takashi asked, approaching her. He handed her one of the cups of coffee.

Koboshi took a sip from her cup and nodded. "It was all right." She contemplated whether she should ask the question that has been nagging at her the moment he walked through the door, but Takashi understood and decided to answer her before she could ask the question. "Kaoru is all right. I stopped by her room before I went to get us some coffee. She's still asleep."

The blond haired girl nodded, staring down at the coffee in her hand.

Takashi watched her for a while. He could tell she was still a little bit worried, but he didn't want to ruin their weekend together by acknowledging that Koboshi was worried about nothing. "Hey." He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. Being just over 5 feet tall compared to the 6 foot height Takashi was, both of them enjoyed each other's company. "I'm pretty sure her brother is heading here now to pick her up, so we can enjoy the weekend I have planned." Takashi pulled himself back and stared into her eyes. "So let's get ready and enjoy the last day here, okay?"

Koboshi smiled and nodded. She went on her tiptoes and kissed Takashi on the lips. "Okay."

* * *

"Was this your plan?" Her eyes wandered to the hovering form by the window, his small wings barely moving, which made her wonder how he could be above ground like that. She sat up on her bed, without even removing her eyes away from her new "friend."

"What are you talking about?" He stared back at her, his arms folded across his chest. "I had nothing to do with your parents." Drake turned his head away and flew towards her, stopping at the end of the bed. When he was positioned, he locked eyes with her again. "Do you really think that I would go as low as getting your parents killed so I could get you to cooperate with me?"

She still doubted his answer. "Well, you are a demon aren't you?"

Drake scoffed. "So what if I am? That doesn't mean I have the power to mess with an airplane and kill hundreds of people in there." He was getting irritated with this girl and he was beginning to doubt his own ability to choose a human to make him pass his exam. Sure, he could be responsible for her parents' death. It wasn't his fault that the pilot just decided to….have a heart attack.

Kaoru studied his face, but she could not read him. Of course she knew she couldn't trust a demon, but in her heart. Her heart was longing. Her parents were gone. This being in front of her may or may not have been responsible for their deaths and that she was suddenly beginning to feel lonely. She only wished for one thing… that Ayanokouji-sama would only love her and not a certain blond that irritated the heck out of her.

"Hey. I'm only here to make your dreams come true, remember? I told you that from the very beginning and you still decided to trust me. And you should, because I was the only one who was really here for you when you found out your parents were in that crash." Drake moved once more and this time at her bedside. "Let's figure out what to do about that blond girl, hm? Let's talk about that one girl who would stand in your way to getting your Ayanokouji-sama."

Kaoru nodded.

* * *

They had one day left before they were to head back home. Takashi had to change his tactics in surprising Koboshi with the plans he originally had before arriving Tokyo. It was a quick one, however so either way he was pretty sure his girlfriend was going to be happy with it. He glanced over to his side at Koboshi walking beside him and grabbed her hand. "Are you getting excited?"

Koboshi gave a big smile and nodded. "Of course I am!"

As they walked down the hallway to the elevator, they heard another door open just at the very end of the hall. The two paused, noticing that Kaoru was leaving her room. When she noticed the two of them, she approached them with a smile on her face. Koboshi still felt that nagging feeling that she was up to something, but decided to brush it off.

"Good afternoon!" she greeted the two. Kaoru glanced at Koboshi. "Koboshi-chan, I'm sorry with the way I have been acting towards you. It's just that…I have been so saddened to know that you have taken the heart of Ayanokouji-sama!"

Both blondes stared at each other. Koboshi was wondering what was going on, but she shouldn't be complaining since this was a better choice of a Kaoru personality than the one she had to deal with since the Mitarai siblings arrived. "That's okay," she finally replied after a few moments of contemplating for a response.

Kaoru smiled and walked over to grab Koboshi's hand. Startled, Koboshi wasn't sure how to react and just stared at the younger girl. Kaoru looked at Takashi. "Ayanokouji-sama, would it be all right with you if I take away Koboshi for a moment? I won't be long and then after you can both go on with your weekend planned together!"

Takashi's eyes wandered over to Koboshi. "I don't mind! Is that all right with you, Koboshi?"

Koboshi thought for a moment, then gave in. Surely, Kaoru meant well with this odd gesture of kindness. "Okay."

"Great! I want to make sure I say this right, so I'm gonna need a private conversation with your girlfriend, Ayanokouji-sama!" With that said, Kaoru dragged the older girl along with her and they headed to the nearest women's restroom on to the next floor below them.

"I'm so glad we're talking, Kaoru," Koboshi spoke first as they entered the bathroom. "I've always wanted to discuss with you about your little….crush on-!" She was unable to finish her sentence that as soon as she turned around to face the younger girl, Kaoru had backed her into a corner and was literally face to face with her. "Kaoru? Wha-?"

"I don't want to TALK about my LITTLE crush with Ayanokouji-sama! I want you to listen to me!" Kaoru slammed a hand on the wall beside Koboshi. "You are gonna end it with him."

"What?" Koboshi stared at her in disbelief. "Are you telling me to stop seeing MY boyfriend?"

Kaoru smiled. A smile that brought chills down Koboshi's spine. "If you don't, something else might happen."

The blond girl's eyes brows furrowed in anger. "Are you….THREATENING me?" She couldn't take this anymore. How could this younger and littler girl be threatening her? Koboshi wasn't the kind of girl to give up on a fight. Takashi was HER boyfriend fair and square. What could Kaoru possibly do to make her change her mind like giving up on Takashi? "I knew I was right about you! You're crazy! What, is this some kind retaliation because you lost your parents? Is this some kind of victimized drama thing you're doing so that Takashi would feel sorry for you? Are you telling me that your parents were NEVER inside that plane? They're probably safe and sound in your house having a cup of coffee right?"

Kaoru sat up straight and took a few steps back, giving Koboshi a little bit of room. She was silent, her eyes covered by her bangs as she stared down on the floor.

"You know, you should be an actress. I think you should win an Academy Award for doing such a great job in crying while making people believe that you lost your parents in a plane crash. I can't believe this!" With her final words that kept Kaoru silent, Koboshi unlocked the door to the bathroom and walked out, surprised to see Takashi standing by the door to the restroom.

"Hey. How was it?" Takashi watched as Koboshi, with a flustered look on her face, approached him. Kaoru came out a few seconds later, her eyes red from crying. "Wha-? What happened?"

"She lied to you, Ten-chan," Koboshi replied. "Her parents never died in the plane crash. They're alive somewhere in their house or something so you would feel sorry for her." She grabbed his hand. "Don't pay any attention to her. This is all an act."

"What?" He pulled away from Koboshi and looked at Kaoru in disbelief. "Is that true? Why would you tell such a lie?"

Kaoru shook her head, but said nothing. Koboshi sighed. "I told you…she's been obsessed with you."

"KAORU!"

All three turned to the familiar voice. Hiroshi Mitarai was seen running towards them, his eyes, though very genuine, were comically filled with tears. He stumbled for a bit, before reaching his younger sister and hugging her with all his might.

"Nii-sama…" Kaoru whispered.

"KAORU! WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO! FATHER….MOTHER….OOOhhhhh I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU, I PROMISE!"

Drake smirked, watching this whole scene unfold before his eyes. "Good on you, Nii-sama….perfect timing! It will only be a matter of time before Koboshi and Takashi break."

Takashi glanced at Koboshi." You think Hiroshi is lying too? Koboshi…" He shook his head. "I think even Hiroshi deserves an Academy Award for acting so well on this one…"

Koboshi could not believe her eyes. Hiroshi was in on this too? That can't be. "But…I KNOW she's lying." She stared at Kaoru and Kaoru stared back at her, her eyes now filled with tears.

* * *

A/N: Dun dun duuunnnn! So do you think Kaoru was lying or not? Was it all an act or is Koboshi acting rational? Next time on the next chapter! :D


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